PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- South Koreans will compete against one another for medals in the men's 500 meter speed skating event at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Monday, while the country's ice dance duo will try to seek redemption after a wardrobe malfunction in their team event last week.
Male speed skaters Mo Tae-bum, Cha Min-kyu and Kim Jun-ho are scheduled to compete in the men's 500m at Gangneung Oval in the sub-host city of Gangneung.
Mo, a surprise 500m champion at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, has fallen on hard times in recent years but will look to recapture some of his old magic. Known for his distinct mohawk haircut, Mo had the honor of representing some 3,000 athletes in their pledge of commitment to the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play at the opening ceremony here.
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South Korean speed skater Mo Tae-bum practices at the Gangneung Oval on Saturday. (Yonhap) |
In December 2017, Cha claimed the silver medal at the International Skating Union World Cup with a new personal-best time of 34.31 seconds.
The women's speed skating team pursuit quarterfinals will also be held at the same venue. Noh Seon-yeong, Kim Bo-reum and Park Ji-woo will represent South Korea.
The ice dance duo of Min Yu-ra and Alexander Gamelin is also scheduled to compete in the short dance at Gangenung Ice Arena. Last Sunday, the duo finished ninth in their short dance at the team event with 51.97 points. Their performance ended up being weaker than expected as Min kept trying to pull up her crimson costume to keep it from falling off.
In other sports, Won Yun-jong and Seo Young-woo could chase the country's first medal in the two-man bobsleigh event, depending on their performance in the first two heats later Sunday, while the men's and women's curling teams are set to face off against Italy and Sweden, respectively. (Yonhap)
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